Tuesday 17th
16:30 – 18:00
Pre-conference discussion in the Monarch Suite: The evolving role of the consultant
As the DB sector – both public and private – continues to evolve and mature, will the role of the consultant need to adapt? Our panel examines how consultants work with pension schemes and asks the question: what does the future of investment consulting look like?
Moderator
Luke Webster
Chief Investment Officer
Greater London Authority
Participants
William Bourne
Independent Adviser
Denise Le Gal
Chair
Brunel Pension Partnership
Pete Smith
Principal and Head of Sustainable Investment
Barnett Waddingham
Elaine Torry
Co-head of Trustee DB Investment
Hymans Robertson
Phil Triggs
Director
Westminster City Council
19:00
Dinner at La Vista
Wednesday 18th | Morning Sessions
Devil’s Advocates – Morning
Jeff Houston, Independent Adviser
Henry Tapper, Chair, AgeWage
08:30 – 09:00
Registration, coffee and early networking
09:00 – 09:05
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Chair
John Harrison
Adviser
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
09:05 – 09:25
Presentation: Pension reforms: what next?
We have a new government, but does that mean a new approach to pensions? During this session, our speaker will discuss what the new government might mean for UK pension policy, and how this might impact Defined Benefit, LGPS and Defined Contribution pension schemes.
Presenter
Rich Fox
Head of UK Public Policy
Schroders
09:25 – 10:05
Panel: The changing nature of DB investment
There’s so much going on affecting defined benefit pensions: the focus on value; consolidation; Mansion House; investing with impact and helping protect the planet; dealing with the continuing fallout from the Gilt’s crisis; and the list could go on… but DB schemes’ funding positions are on the whole in rude health. Our expert panel will unpick the key forces that are driving change for public and private sector defined benefit schemes.
Moderator
John Harrison
Forum Chair
Panellists
Jason Fletcher
Independent Consultant
Denise Le Gal
Chair
Brunel Pension Partnership
John Nestor
Professional Trustee
Capital Cranfield
Phil Triggs
Director
Westminster City Council
10:05 – 10:25
Presentation: Fixed income opportunities
As we near the end of 2024, with over 60% of the world’s population having cast their votes in various elections, the US election stands out as the main event on the global political calendar. Historically, US elections have often created more “noise” than fundamental shifts in capital markets. Will this election be any different?
Presenter
Amanda Stitt
Portfolio Specialist, Fixed Income
T. Rowe Price
10:25 – 10:45
Presentation: Investing in UK Growth: The benefits of UK listed smaller companies
Following the Mansion House Speech in 2023 there has been a large amount of discussion regarding supporting UK growth by investing in private markets. In this session we discuss a more tried, tested and liquid approach to supporting British businesses: Listed UK Smaller Companies.
Presenter
Victoria Stevens
Fund Manager, Economic Advantage team
Liontrust Asset Management
10:45 – 11:05
Interview: Building better outcomes with residential real estate debt
Real estate private debt is growing in popularity offering investors much more than equity like returns and a credit risk profile. This session highlights the merits of real asset backed debt, looks at the secular themes driving returns and the case for a UK focussed strategy. With the housing crisis remaining at the top of the political agenda, we explore what role private credit can play in building stronger communities without compromising on risk or return.
Interviewer
John Harrison
Forum Chair
Interviewee
Justin Faiz
CEO & Co-Founder
Pluto Finance
11:05 – 11:35
Coffee
11:35 – 12:15
Panel: Integrating natural capital into UK pension funds
We’re in an era marked by unprecedented environmental challenges and shifting economic landscapes. Investing in natural capital has emerged as a crucial strategy for delivering sustainable growth. Our panel will explore the opportunities, benefits and challenges associated with integrating natural capital into pension scheme investments.
Moderator
John Harrison
Forum Chair
Panellists
William Johnson
Head of UK Forestry Acquisitions
Gresham House
Pete Smith
Principal and Head of Sustainable Investment
Barnett Waddingham
Rosalind Smith-Maxwell
Director
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners
12:15 – 13:00
Roundtable Discussion: Consolidation, consolidation, consolidation
Our roundtable discussion will unpick some of the key drivers and barriers to scheme consolidation across private and public sector DB schemes. What are the opportunities presented through consolidation? What are the barriers and concerns? Will incentives and a nudge to consolidation be enough, or will the government have to double down on mandating schemes to consolidate?
Facilitator
Dafydd Edwards
Independent Board Chair
Powys Pension Fund
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
Wednesday 18th | Afternoon Sessions
Devil’s Advocates – Afternoon
Philip Burrell, Trustee Director, Babcock International
Pedro Pardo, Independent Adviser
14:00 – 14:30
Keynote Speaker: The end game, DB funding code and productive finance
Our speaker will give a perspective from the regulator on considerations of an effective end game, an update on the DB funding code and how the productive finance agenda feeds into this.
Speaker
Neil Bull
Executive Director of Market Oversight
The Pensions Regulator
14:30 – 14:50
Presentation: Currency matters – dancing to a different tune
Delving deeper into our previous DG Publishing conference themes, we will take a deeper look into the question “does currency matter?”. This update for sterling-based pension funds, will show what has hurt, and what has helped your portfolio (and by how much). We compare the significantly different outcomes between passive and managed currency approaches, and highlight some of the more recent drivers of currency movements to identify methods to transform your existing risk into potential profit opportunities that can be used to improve cash flow and pay pensions.
Presenter
Bruce D. George
Investment Solutions
P/E Investments
14:50 – 15:10
Interview: Impact Investing in UK Real Estate, Social Housing and beyond
Social housing is not the only sector in UK real estate where return and impact objectives can be achieved. The built environment has a huge influence on people’s everyday lives and responsible property investors recognise that investment decisions have an impact on people, place and planet. Alongside investing in real estate with a social use, regenerating and repurposing existing underutilised assets to alternative uses enables social change in urban areas and provides attractive opportunities for a diversified portfolio without compromising returns. This session is about moving the narrative of impact investing in real estate beyond just social housing.
Interviewer
John Harrison
Forum Chair
Interviewee
Charles Royle
Executive Director
AEW UK Investment
15:10 – 15:50
Panel: Credit & LGPS asset allocation
Our LGPS super panel with representatives from Scottish funds will look at some of the key asset allocation challenges in the LGPS. What’s hot, what’s not, and where schemes should be looking in order to deliver better investment performance while acknowledging impact.
Moderator
Eric Lambert
Independent Investment Adviser
Panellists
Emmanuel Bocquet
Chief Investment Officer
Lothian Pension Fund
Laura Colliss
Pension Fund Manager
North East Scotland Pension Fund
Craig Scordellis
CIO Credit
Manulife CQS
15:50 – 16:10
Coffee
16:10 – 16:30
Presentation: Investment consultants: to regulate or not regulate – that is the question…
Investment consultants play a crucial role in setting a scheme’s strategic asset allocation. In this session we’ll get under the skin of the role of the investment consultants by looking at what the data is telling us in terms of achieving value for money and fairness. Do investment consultants have too much sway? Are all investment consultants the same? And how do they treat their clients? Our speaker will delve into all this and more with the view to answering the question about whether this sector now needs to be regulated to raise standards and deliver better value?
Presenter
Chris Sier
CEO & Co-Founder
ClearGlass Analytics
16:30 – 17:10
Panel: Bringing it all together – what the changing landscape means for schemes and scheme investments
Our final panel session of the day will hear from those at the coalface of dealing change across private and public sector DB. Is consolidation the panacea that politicians think it is? What does the economic and regulatory content mean for schemes and how will this evolve over the next 10 years?
Moderator
John Harrison
Forum Chair
Panellists
Robert Bilton
Partner
Hymans Robertson
Doug McMurdo
Chair
Bedfordshire Pension Fund
Henry Tapper
Chair
AgeWage
Luke Webster
CEO
Greater London Authority
17:10 – 17:20
Devil’s Advocate Summaries
17:20 – 17:30
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Chair
John Harrison
Adviser
Border to Coast Pensions Partnership
18:30 – 19:30
Drinks Reception
19:30
Gala Dinner at Cameron House
